Agenda and minutes

Resolved:-  That the minutes of the meetings held on 11^th and 25^th October and 8th November, 2017 be approved as correct records of proceedings.

There were no Declarations of Interest to report.

There were no questions from members of the public or the press.

Further to Minute No. 72 of the Council Meeting held on 18^th October, 2017, Mrs. S. Thackery attended to present the petition that had been received in respect of the Cedar House Crisis Centre facility on Moorgate Road, Rotherham. As the petition had 1,000 valid signatures under the Council’s petition scheme, it has been referred for consideration by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board.

This report detailed the background to decisions taken relating to Cedar House and the process that the Board should follow in considering the call for action contained within the petition.

Mrs Thackery attended the meeting to set out the reasons behind the petition. She explained that the unit had been used primarily by individuals with mental or emotional issues. There had been an outcry from service users since notice had been provided of the intention to sell Cedar House, especially as mental provision was widely considered to in crisis across the country. Mrs Thackery referred to the experience of family members who had used the facility and cited testimonies from other service users as to the value of the unit. Mrs Thackery was supported in her representation by the CQC Registered Manager at Cedar House, who was employed by Rethink, who further explained the value of Cedar House as a crisis house. Reference was made to the potential for the spot purchase of units rather than the block purchase which had been the case historically, which was considered to be a most cost effective option for the authority that would allow Cedar House to continue as a valuable resource for service users.

In response to questions from Members, Mrs Thackery explained that she had become aware of the proposals to close Cedar House in April 2017 and her lack of awareness of the procedure to petition the Council had led to the delay in the petition being presented in October 2017. She further indicated that the Council’s proposals were inadequate as people with mental health conditions or issues did not want to be in hospital environments and that a house/home based model of care was a more effective place for them to receive crisis care.

In responding to the petition, the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, Councillor Roche, expressed sympathy for the points made by Mrs Thackery as lead petitioner. He explained that the original deals in 1995 and 2005 were not good deals and that the Council had made the right decision to decommission the service in March 2017. The background to the decision and subsequent correspondence with Rethink, the provider of services at Cedar House, was detailed by the Cabinet Member. He indicated that the Council was working with Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber Foundation Trust and Rotherham Clinical Commissioning Group to develop a patient centred crisis plan and would review the type of help that would be required for individuals in crisis.

Members sought assurances that the Mental Health Lead Commissioner at the CCG had continued to be involved  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42.

Further to the request by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board consideration was given to a report which detailed the current and projected position with regard to residential and nursing care home provision in Rotherham across all client groups.

The report set out the current and projected population levels and the projected population of older people and people who have a learning disability, physical disability or mental ill-health who were aged 18 to 64 years.

The report also set out the position of the care home market and described the present and future challenges as well as presenting opportunities. 

Members sought to understand how predictions could be made up to the year 2035, specifically referencing the decrease in 135 psychiatric patients when the population was projected to increase. It was explained the projections were provided by the Office for National Statistics and were verified by the Institute of Public Intelligence and Oxford Brookes University. It was confirmed that the system was used by all local authorities in England.

It was explained that service users in Rotherham were historically receiving more of a service than they may have potentially needed. When compared to other authorities in the Yorkshire and Humber region, Rotherham was on average for older people’s care, but was above the regional average for nursing care. Reference was made to the learning disability and mental health challenges in Rotherham.

Members expressed concern at the time afforded to individual visits and queried whether it was feasible to spend more time with people in their own homes to prevent admission into residential care. In response, it was explained that the focus should be on needs, outcomes and wishes and a graduated approach should be adopted. The ultimate goal was for people not to come into social at all, but reablement was key and there continued to be a need to think about the removal of long-term care solutions. People should only go into residential care if their needs become unsafe, but there was a risk tool that was used to assist decision making with individuals.

Reference was made to the Integrated Better Care Fund (IBCF) and the forecast overspends in Adult Social Care and Members sought assurances as to how this would be managed. It was noted that the IBCF could be used for a whole range of activities, but it was a short term funding stream. As part of the broader picture, Members were advised of the specific challenges in Rotherham in delivering adult social care. Behavioural change in respect of the use of residential care and reablement was key, with the number of people under 65 in residential care being well above average. The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health further elaborated on the national funding picture where all local authorities were suffering from reduced funding from central government. He reported that during w/c 20 November 2017, 57% of social care councils were already overspent.

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member and Strategic Director  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

Consideration was given to a report which detailed the various key elements and objectives of the Asset Management Policy and Strategy and the Medium Term Financial Strategy, how they aligned in the delivery of the Council’s corporate objectives and transformation plans and in addition how they support effective budget management.

With reference to neighbourhood working and managing underused assets, Members sought assurances that a comprehensive list of assets in each ward which was to be circulated to councillors. It was considered that the Asset Management service needed to align its approach to neighbourhood working to take advantage of and inform councillors’ knowledge on what was happening and needed at a ward level. Members confirmed that they were specifically concerned with land that had a strategic value, as opposed to housing assets. The Cabinet Member for Jobs and the Local Economy provided an assurance that information on community assets would link in with the neighbourhood agenda.

Members queried when the Asset Management Plan would be published and shared with councillors and whether there would be any smart energy projects included in the plans in future. In response, it was confirmed that the plan was expected to be published in February 2018. With regard to energy projects, reference was made to the savings made annually from  various projects at buildings like Riverside House. It was also noted that the Council sold energy back to the National Grid from Riverside House and newer properties had ground source heat pumps installed.

Assurances were sought that there was capacity with Legal Services to enable the expedient sale or transfer of assets. It was confirmed that there was a dedicated resource within Legal Services to support asset management sales or transfers

Resolved:- 

(1)  That the linkages between the Asset Management Policy and Strategy and the Medium Term Financial Strategy be noted.

(2)  That the list of Assets in each ward be shared with Ward Members by no later than the end of February 2018.

(3)  That Ward Members be advised when assets are disposed of within their ward.

(4)  That the link between assets and neighbourhood working be reflected in the emerging Neighbourhoods Strategy and the future refresh of the Asset Management Strategy.

(5)  That Overview and Scrutiny Management Board annually monitor the level of capital receipts received to ensure that the requirements of the MTFS are met.

The Chair reported on the launch of the Youth Cabinet Manifesto earlier in the month and spoke of his pride at the way in which the young people had conducted themselves and taken ownership of the issues they had identified for review. He added that he was looking forward to the Children’s Commissioner Takeover Challenge in early 2018 where the Youth Cabinet would take over a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board and invited Councillors Cusworth and Evans to participate in the planning for that meeting.

Resolved:-     That the update be noted.

Health Select Commission

Councillor Evans reported that the Commission had received an update on Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services at its previous meeting and reviewed the whole school mental health pilot. Three schools had presented on the excellent work that they do. Councillor Evans further reported that a spotlight review would take place in November on Drug and Alcohol Treatment. Members of the Improving Lives Select Commission would be invited to the next meeting of the Commission as the Carers Strategy and Adult Mental Health would be on the agenda.

Improving Places Select Commission

Councillor Mallinder reported that the Commission had received an update on District Heating and Neighbourhood Working at its previous meeting and made a recommendation for a seminar to be held for all Members on Neighbourhood Working.

Improving Lives Select Commission

Councillor Clark reported that the annual reports from the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and Local Safeguarding Adults Board were presented and Members had provided positive feedback on the work of those bodies. The proposed agenda items for the Commission’s meeting in December had changed with the Domestic Abuse Strategy and updates on the Virtual School and Regional Adoption Agency being due to be presented.

Resolved:-   That the information be noted.

The Chairman reported that no issues had been referred for call-in.

The next meeting will take place on Thursday 7 December 2017 commencing at 2.00 p.m.

Resolved:-  That the next meeting be held on Thursday, 7th December, 2017 at 2.00 p.m.